Scorned Son-In-Law:System of the Forgotten Heir

Chapter 1: The Shame of the Okoyes

The Okoye mansion sparkled with wealth.

Marble floors. Imported curtains. Gold-plated furniture. Even the chandelier looked like it cost more than most people’s life savings. Servants moved silently across the halls, careful not to disturb the family seated in the grand dining room.

But despite the glitz and luxury, tension clung to the air like smoke.

At the center of the long mahogany table sat Chief Kenneth Okoye, the patriarch of the Okoye empire—a man whose name alone could silence boardrooms. His grey agbada was crisp, his face unreadable.

Beside him sat his wife, Veronica Okoye, regal in her expensive Ankara gown, her neck weighed down by layers of real gold. Her eyes were sharp, scanning every face around the table until they landed on him.

Henry.

The son-in-law no one wanted.

The charity case they had been forced to accept because of an old man’s dying wish.

He sat quietly at the far end of the table, his posture straight but his shoulders heavy. Wearing a faded shirt and worn-out trousers, Henry looked completely out of place in a room full of polished egos and diamond-dripping guests.

He wasn’t family. Not truly.

He was a burden. An embarrassment.

The shame of the Okoyes.

“Henry,” Veronica’s voice broke the silence, cool and cutting. “How long do you plan to continue this charade?”

The room fell still.

Henry met her gaze calmly. “I’m not sure I follow, ma.”

She scoffed. “You’re sitting here, eating our food, living under our roof, married to my daughter… yet you bring nothing. No money. No influence. No name. Tell me, what exactly do you contribute to this family?”

Whispers rippled through the guests. A few smirked. Some looked away in pity. Others simply watched with amusement, eager to see the poor boy squirm again.

Henry clenched his jaw but remained composed. “I’ve never asked for anything. I do my best to—”

“To what?” Veronica snapped. “Clean shoes? Carry bags? You’re a disgrace! My daughter deserves better than a street rat we picked up out of pity.”

“Enough, Veronica,” Chief Okoye said mildly, though he made no move to defend Henry.

Henry turned his eyes toward his wife, Adaora, hoping—just maybe—she’d speak up for him.

She didn’t.

She sat with her arms crossed, eyes lowered, lips tight. Cold. Distant. Just like she’d been since the wedding.

They were married by contract. Forced together by her late grandfather, who believed in Henry’s potential. But Adaora never agreed with the decision. And she made sure he felt it every single day.

Not once in two years had she called him “husband.” Not once had she smiled at him without contempt.

Another guest, an elderly uncle, leaned forward. “Tell me, Henry… what exactly is it you do for work now?”

Henry opened his mouth, but Veronica cut in. “He doesn’t work. He loiters.”

More laughter.

“Actually,” Henry said slowly, voice quiet but firm, “I’ve been looking into starting something small. A business.”

“A business?” Veronica scoffed. “You? With what money? Whose capital? Or do you plan to steal from my husband too?”

Adaora finally looked up—only to shake her head and sip her wine.

Humiliation burned in Henry’s chest.

But he didn’t let it show.

He’d grown used to it—the side glances, the passive insults, the cold meals, the locked bedroom doors. It was the same every day.

Still, tonight felt different.

Something inside him was shifting. A quiet fury building, one he could no longer ignore.

“They think I’m nothing.”

“They don’t know what I’ve sacrificed.”

“But they’ll see soon enough.”

As dinner ended and guests began to leave, Henry rose silently and made his way toward the garden. The cool evening air wrapped around him like a blanket, easing the pressure in his chest.

He stared up at the sky, fists clenched.

He thought of the job offers he turned down to stay loyal to Adaora’s grandfather. Of the friends he lost. Of the dreams he buried so she wouldn’t be embarrassed by him.

And this was his reward—mockery, disdain, and indifference.

“Maybe I should leave. Maybe this isn’t worth it anymore.”

Then, without warning—his vision blurred.

A flash.

A pulse in his mind.

SYSTEM BOOTING…

Initializing Identity Protocol: Forgotten Heir.

Class Assigned: Scorned Son-in-Law.

Hidden Traits Unlocked.

Skill Gained: Grudge Sense – Detect hidden resentment and malice within 10 meters.

Henry stumbled back.

“What the hell…?”

Across the garden, glowing red outlines shimmered around the mansion—where the Okoyes were still laughing, toasting wine, living in denial.

Grudge Detected: Veronica Okoye – Hostility 92%

Grudge Detected: Adaora Okoye – Emotional Regret, Contempt 71%

Grudge Detected: Kenneth Okoye – Hidden Disdain 64%

Henry’s pulse quickened.

Quest Unlocked: Rise Above the Okoyes.

Objective: Earn ₦1,000,000 on your own within 14 days.

Reward: Class Upgrade + Power Awakening.

He exhaled slowly, a bitter smile creeping onto his face.

They would never accept him?

So be it.

He would build something they couldn’t ignore.

Not for their approval—but to bury them in their regret.